Final Fantasy XV Pocket Edition is an abridged version of Final Fantasy XV, initially adapted for mobile platforms when it was announced at Gamescom 2017. First released on Android and iOS in early 2018, Pocket Edition has been backported and enhanced for all major gaming platforms as of September 2018.
Overview[]
As an abridgment of Final Fantasy XV, Pocket Edition has ten chapters instead of the original game's fifteen. It is distributed in an episodic format on Windows, iOS and Android platforms, with the first available for free. It uses the same audio as in the original game plus dialogue that was cut from the main release[1] and is presented in a chibi art style with a mobile-centric battle system.
The player can change their language and audio, the latter being an optional download directly in the options menu. Pocket Edition has four quality modes, four resolutions and three FPS settings: 30FPS, 60FPS and "Maximum".
Requirements[]
Mobile[]
| Requirements | iOS | Android |
|---|---|---|
| Version | iOS 11.1 or later. | Android 5.0 or later. |
| Devices | iPhone 6s or later iPad Pro iPad (5th gen) or later iPad Air 2 or later iPad mini 4 or later |
Some devices are not supported, even if the installed Android OS version is within the supported range |
| Size | 785.5 MB | (Not available) |
| Storage | 5 GB or greater; High resolution version requires 8 GB or greater. | 5 GB or greater; High resolution version requires 8 GB or greater. |
| CPU | A8 | 1.5 GHz |
| RAM | — | 2 GB or greater |
Windows 10[]
- 64-bit Windows 10 Anniversary Update (1607) or later with October 2016 patch or later
- Intel Core i3-6100U or equivalent processor
- Intel HD Graphics 520 with 1 GB of RAM or higher
- 4 GB system RAM
- Internet access for download and purchase
Pricing[]
Final Fantasy XV Pocket Edition is priced at US$19.99 for all ten chapters, or one can buy them individually, but buying the chapters this way is more expensive. The standalone HD version is priced at US$29.99 and includes all content.[citation needed]
| Chapter | USD | EUR | JPY |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ch 1 | Free | Free | Free |
| Ch 2 | 0.99 | 120 | |
| Ch 3 | 0.99 | 120 | |
| Ch 4 | 3.99 | 480 | |
| Ch 5 | 3.99 | 480 | |
| Ch 6 | 3.99 | 480 | |
| Ch 7 | 3.99 | 480 | |
| Ch 8 | 3.99 | 480 | |
| Ch 9 | 3.99 | 480 | |
| Ch 10 | 3.99 | 480 | |
| All | 19.99 | 2,400 |
Development[]
Business Division 2 tested Final Fantasy XV Pocket Edition using a low-polygon art style, similar to Final Fantasy VII, but weren't sure it would be received well among new players. The team created a new look it thought younger audiences would like. After testing both styles with various demographics, the studio found players in their teens and twenties preferred the version that made it to the final version. Square Enix built the development team around younger creators skilled at simplifying complex mechanics. In console gaming, the developers tend to keep adding game mechanics, while mobile developers tend to design by distilling the experience.[2]
Release[]
Pre-registration for mobiles opened on November 8, 2017[3], with a full release on February 9, 2018. A Windows 10 version was released on June 6, 2018.
On September 6, 2018, Final Fantasy XV Pocket Edition HD was made available for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. A Nintendo Switch version launched later on September 13, 2018.[4]
Gallery[]
- Artwork
Artwork below is by Coln Chen, a Taiwanese artist credited as one of the lead concept artists for Final Fantasy XV Pocket Edition. A link to an archive of their work can be found here.
- Screenshots
- Other
Trivia[]
- This release is the first abridged title in the series, rather than being a port, remaster, or remake.
- This game uses the Unity game engine.
- In honor of the Pocket Edition launch, some of the Business Division 2 developers were out on the streets of Shibuya, Japan, handing out pocket tissues with pictures of characters from the game. There were six to collect: Noctis, Gladiolus, Ignis, Prompto, Ardyn and Lunafreya.[5]
- Some incidental party banter that was used in Final Fantasy XV Episode Duscae, but not in the main game, is included in Pocket Edition, such as the one where Noctis and Prompto talk about dreams.
- This is the only Final Fantasy game released for Windows to not be available on Steam, instead being sold on the Microsoft Store.
References[]
- ↑ Final Fantasy 30th Anniversary Exhibition - Synopsis of Panel with the Developers of FFXV (Accessed: April 21, 2018) at /r/FFXV at reddit.com
- ↑ How Final Fantasy XV Mastered Mobile (Accessed: February 21, 2019) at iTunes
- ↑ PRE-REGISTER FOR A MOBILE ROAD TRIP IN FINAL FANTASY XV POCKET EDITION (Accessed: February 21, 2019) at Square Enix Press Center
- ↑ Final Fantasy XV Pocket Edition HD now available for PS4 and Xbox One, soon for Switch (Accessed: February 21, 2019) at Gematsu
- ↑ ''Final Fantasy XV Pocket Edition'' campaign page (Accessed: February 21, 2019) at Square Enix Japan